1. Field of the Invention
The present teachings are directed to methods of producing carbon nanotubes and hydrocarbons, especially fuels for transportation, and to electrocatalytic cells for performing the methods disclosed herein.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Various methods of preparing carbon nanotubes are well known, for instance, laser ablation, arc discharge, and chemical vapor deposition. Each of these methods has various shortcomings unique to the method.
Gasification of a carbonaceous source material followed by water gas shift and Fischer-Tropsch chemistry is one commercial method to produce hydrocarbons from the feeds of CO, CO2, H2 and H2O. Fischer-Tropsch (“FT”) chemistry typically relies on a syngas feedstock, which is a mixture of carbon monoxide and dihydrogen in an explicitly defined ratio. Typically, feedstocks must contain hydrogen in order for FT chemistry to occur. The difficulties associated with storing and transporting both hydrogen and carbon monoxide result in the carbonaceous source material being gasified in relatively close proximity to a FT plant.
The ability to use as feedstock sources variably composed mixtures of CO2/CO with variable composed mixtures of Hz/H2O for the FT synthesis for liquid hydrocarbon transportation fuels is greatly desirable.